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Blue Jays Reach Highest Attendance Mark Since '93; Ballpark Renovations Coming?

The Blue Jays last night "crossed the 3 million mark in attendance," a number "last reached" by the club during its '93 World Series championship season, according to Shi Davidi of SPORTSNET.ca. By the end of the '16 season, the Jays will "have at least the sixth-best total gate in franchise history, with a shot at the fifth spot." Given the questions "raised during some of the team’s lean years," lowlighted by the 1,495,482 fans drawn in '10, there were doubts the numbers would ever be so high again." Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro: "It's a reflection of the intensity of the fan base." Davidi noted fans also now "want to see the team spend money," especially given that the club last month "announced an average price increase of nine per cent on early-bird season-ticket renewals." The Jays' payroll this season is "believed to be creeping" toward $150M. Meanwhile, Rogers Centre is the seventh oldest ballpark in MLB and "all the others -- save for the decrepit Oakland Coliseum -- have undergone substantial renovations." Shapiro said Rogers Centre needs an upgrade that will “re-envision the building for the next 30 years.” Davidi noted priorities include "updating scoreboards and sound systems" (SPORTSNET.ca, 9/13). TSN.ca's Scott MacArthur noted Shapiro yesterday "wasn’t celebrating" the attendance milestone, but he did acknowledge "how impressed he’s been with the level of interest the team has generated in and around Toronto." Moving forward, the club would "like to selectively target specific demographics of its fan base with different amenities meant to improve the ballpark experience." Shapiro: "Maybe the most obvious one here is looking at the WestJet Flight Deck and just how occupied that is night in and night out, the energy that spills out of there.” MacArthur noted the Blue Jays are "talking to a number of design firms, looking for a partner" (TSN.ca, 9/13).

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